Citizens’ Alliance for Responsible Energy (CARE)

Background

The Citizens’ Alliance for Responsible Energy (CARE) is a 501(c)(3) public charity with a Section H Election, allowing it to lobby legislators within IRS guidelines. The group’s website is no longer valid, and it is unclear if it is still in operation. [1]

Sourcewatch describes CARE as a fossil fuel advocacy organization that opposes sustainable energy and that claims solar and wind power “will end the America we know and love.” CARE describes sustainable energy advocates as “Gang Green.” [2], [3]

CARE was founded in 2005 by Mark E. Mathis, a former TV anchor, current radio talk show host, and consultant with the Independent Petroleum Association of New Mexico. CARE‘s stated mission is to “simplify the conversation about energy production and provide citizens with a more thorough understanding of how energy policy decisions affect their day-to-day lives.” [4]

Before taking her position as Executive Director at CARE, Marita Noon was known nation-wide as a Christian speaker and a trainer for Christian speakers.  [5]

Stance on Climate Change

”[…] [F]ossil fuel use in total is estimated to be responsible for less than 1% of the emissions deemed to contribute to global warming. Global conditions and interactions are so complex, there is little chance of reasonably modeling the impact of any particular component. Scientists cannot even agree whether there IS a global warming trend at this time, much less agree to its cause.” [6]

On Environmentalism

CARE compares environmentalists to watermelons, describing them as “Green on the outside like environmentalism, red on the inside like neo-communism or neo-socialism.” They quote from Fred L. Smith Jr., President of the  Competitive Enterprise Institute:

“We can say this for environmental activists– they are persistent, constantly developing collectivist schemes to increase the size and scope of government. And they are becoming more ambitious. Not content with giving more power to Uncle Sam, they now seek to give greater power to the United Nations, a move that would seriously undermine American sovereignty and pave the way for top-down global wealth transfer schemes that would make the Great Society look small.” [7]

On Energy

According to CARE‘s website, “Anti-development and anti-energy activist groups are attempting to deceive the public into believing that we can wean ourselves off of oil in the near future… . The United States cannot lose its ability to produce a significant percentage of oil for itself. Without enough petroleum, freedom itself could be in jeopardy.” [1]

CARE offers their position on the following energy sources:

Oil — “Oil is the greatest energy source ever discovered.” [8]

Natural Gas — “Natural gas is as close to an ideal energy source as can be found on the planet.” [9]

Coal — “CARE supports coal as a responsible energy source. The United States possesses coal in great abundance, and there is no viable replacement for coal over the next several decades, if not longer.” [10]

Nuclear — “Nuclear Power is an environmentally responsible pathway to achieve global economic sustainability, environmental quality, and energy security.” [11]

Renewables — “Proponents of these so-called ‘alternatives’ tout the benefits stating that they are green and free. Neither is true… . backing up a wind farm with a coal-fired power plant actually creates more CO2 than if the energy came from the coal plant alone… . renewables are heralded as clean, green, pure, fresh, and free—are anything but.”  [12]

Funding

The Citizens’ Alliance for Responsible Energy (CARE) does not appear to publicly list their funding sources.

According to a 2005 article by past executive director Mark Mathis, “Citizens’ Alliance for Responsible Energy is funded by more than 250 members including New Mexico oil and gas producers.” [13]

According to publicly-available 990 forms (see below), CARE had a total revenue of $121,484 in 2014. It reports paying Executive Director Marita Noon $60,000 that year. Total revenue in 2013 totaled $153,850.

990 Tax Forms

Key People

According to CARE‘s website, as of December, 2015: [5]

• Marita Noon — Executive Director.
• James K. Chilton Jr. — Board Director.
• Mike Hightower — Board Director.
• Gavin Longmuir — Board Director.
• Paul Gessing — Board Director.

CARE Energy Council

CARE‘s lists the following members of their “Energy Council”: [14]

• Dennis T. Avery
• Robert L. Bradley, Jr.
• Paul Driessen
• Michael J. Economides
• Michael R. Fox
• Byron King
• Tom Tanton

Actions

November 10, 2015

In a column for The American Spectator, Citizens’ Alliance for Responsible Energy’s Marita Noon criticized Catholic leaders for supporting a global climate agreement that she said would be particularly harmful for “the poor and elderly.” [15]

Noon writes: “The bishops want to protect the poor from climate risks, but the risks from poverty are much greater and more immediate than those from climate change, and the global treaty the bishops want would slow, stop, or reverse economic growth, destroy jobs, and raise energy costs, harming everyone–especially the poor and elderly.” [15]

Noon cites climate change skeptic Bjorn Lomborg multiple times for support. For example:

“Surely the Catholic leaders really do care about ‘the poorest and most vulnerable. If they do, rather than calling for the unrealistic ‘end of the fossil fuel era,’ they’d call for the ‘climate aid’ to be spent on ‘improved public health, education and economic development,’ as recommended by noted economist Bjørn Lomborg.” [15]

In summary, Noon urges readers to sign a petition by the Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation titled “Forget ‘Climate Change’, Energy Empowers the Poor!” which urges President Obama and the U.S. Senate to avoid any global agreements to limit carbon emissions.

June 29, 2015

The Citizens’ Alliance for Responsible Energy’s Executive Director, Marita Noon, released a statement following the U.S. Supreme Court’s 5-4 ruling against the Environmental Protection Agency to “limit mercury emissions from coal- and oil-fired power plants” via a Heartland Institute press release titled, “Heartland Institute Experts React to Supreme Court Decision on EPA Mercury Rule.” [16]

CARE‘s Marita Noon stated:

“…today’s decision on mercury and air toxics standards for power plants serves as a severe smack down and has the potential to impact future regulations like the Clean Power Plan … The big lesson for the Obama administration should be read between the lines. It can introduce all kinds of controversial and unreasonable rules and regulations that crush growth, kill jobs, and favor its friends and ideology — and even if it ultimately gets shot down, it will be too late; the impact will already be felt.” [16]

March 10, 2015

The Citizens’ Alliance for Responsible Energy (CARE) released an anti-solar energy white paper titled, “Solar Power in the U.S.: Lessons Learned and Guidance for Policymakers.” [17] 

CARE‘s goal in creating the report was to “educate both consumers and lawmakers about the various consequences of using solar energy.” [17]

According to the Energy & Policy Institute’s updated post, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) featured CARE‘s report with its members in an e-mail newsletter and on its website. [17]

May 21–23, 2012

The Citizens’ Alliance for Responsible Energy (CARE) was a co-sponsor of the Heartland Institute‘s Seventh International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC7). [18]

DeSmogBlog researched co-sponsors behind the conference and discovered that they had received a total of over $67 Million from ExxonMobil, Koch, and Scaife family foundations. [19]

May 16–18, 2010

The Citizens’ Alliance for Responsible Energy (CARE) was an official co-sponsor of the Heartland Institute’s Fourth International Conference on Climate Change in Chicago, IL. [20]

DeSmogBlog researched co-sponsors behind the conference and found that collectively 19 of the 65 sponsors (including Heartland itself) had received a total of over $40 million in funding since 1985 from ExxonMobil, and/or Koch Industries and/or the Scaife family foundations. [21]

March 2–4, 2008

The Citizens’ Alliance for Responsible Energy (CARE) was a co-sponsor of the Heartland Institute‘s First International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC1). [22]

RealClimate reported how ICCC1 “is not aimed at understanding, it is a PR event aimed at generating media reports.” [23]

March 8, 2006

The Citizens’ Alliance for Responsible Energy (CARE) past Executive Director Mark E. Mathis was a co-signatory on a letter, initiated by the Competitive Enterprise Institute, in support of an expansion of oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. [24]

CARE Contact & Location

As of June, 2016 the Citizens’ Alliance for Responsible Energy listed the following contact information on its website: [26]

CARE-Citizens’ Alliance for Responsible Energy 
PO Box 52103
Albuquerque, NM 87181-52103
505.239.8998 
[email protected]

Related Organizations

• CARE Blog: responsiblenergy.blogspot.ca.
• Center for the Defense of Free Enterprise — A CARE blog post lists Ron Arnold, Executive Vice President of the Center for the Defense of Free Enterprise as a “integral part of CARE‘s founding.” [25]

Resources

1. “Welcome to CARE,” www.responsibleenergy.org. Archived December 4, 2015. WebCite URL: http://www.webcitation.org/6dX6aDiE5
2. “Citizens’ Alliance for Responsible Energy,” SourceWatch. Accessed December 4, 2015.
3. “Denver Meeting with Partnership for the West: Re-Arming the Western Grassroots Movement,” The Power Line Volume 2 Issue 5. Archived December 4, 2015. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmogBlog. WebCite URL: http://www.webcitation.org/6dX4xmQCU
4. “Solar Power in the U.S. Lessons Learned And Guidance For Policymakers” (PDF), www.responsibleenergy.org, March, 2015. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmogBlog
5. “About Us,” Citizens’ Alliance for Responsible Energy. Archived December 4, 2015. WebCite URL: http://www.webcitation.org/6dX9btvdK
6. “Misconceptions and Myths,” Citizens’ Alliance for Responsible Energy. Archived December 4, 2015. WebCite URL: http://www.webcitation.org/6dX6kt0Q0
7. “Smash the Watermelons,” Citizens’ Alliance for Responsible Energy. Archived December 4, 2015. WebCite URL: http://www.webcitation.org/6dX6pltrU
8. “Oil,” Citizens’ Alliance for Responsible Energy. Archived December 4, 2015. WebCite URL: http://www.webcitation.org/6dX72id3p
9. “Natural Gas,” Citizens’ Alliance for Responsible Energy. Archived December 4, 2015. WebCite URL: http://www.webcitation.org/6dX79iQbr
10. “Coal,” Citizens’ Alliance for Responsible Energy. Archived December 4, 2015. WebCite URL: http://www.webcitation.org/6dX7HB8WD
11. “Nuclear,” Citizens’ Alliance for Responsible Energy. Archived December 4, 2015. WebCite URL: http://www.webcitation.org/6dX7LJKaD
12. “Renewables,” Citizens’ Alliance for Responsible Energy. Archived December 4, 2015. WebCite URL: http://www.webcitation.org/6dX7PYxjx
13. Mark Mathis. “Richardson Should Do a 180 on Energy Plan,” Albuquerque Journal, October 19, 2005. Archived June 18, 2006. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmogBlog.
14. “Meet the CARE Energy Council,” Citizens’ Alliance for Responsible Energy (Blog). Archived December 4, 2015. WebCite URL: http://www.webcitation.org/6dXADquqa
15. Marita Noon. “We’ll Always Have Paris,” The American Spectator, November 10, 2016. Archived December 4, 2015. WebCite URL: http://www.webcitation.org/6dXBkmXrz
16. “Heartland Institute Experts React to Supreme Court Decision on EPA Mercury Rule,” Heartland Institute, June 29, 2015. Archived November 1, 2015. WebCite URL: http://www.webcitation.org/6dXANnZVK
17. Matt Kasper. ”Citizens’ Alliance for Responsible Energy Releases Anti-Solar Report,” Energy & Policy Institute, March 18, 2015. Archived December 4, 2015. WebCite URL: http://www.webcitation.org/6dXAT3N4X
18. “Cosponsors,” 7th International Conference on Climate Change. Archived May 10, 2012. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmogBlog.
19. Michael Fisher. “A Closer Look at Heartland’s ICCC7 Denial-a-Palooza Speakers and Sponsors,” DeSmogBlog, May 23, 2012. 
20. “4th International Conference on Climate Change: Sponsored by the Heartland Institute” (Conference Program – PDF), The Heartland Institute, May, 2010. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmogBlog.
21. Brendan DeMelle. “Denial-a-palooza Round 4: ‘International Conference on Climate Change’ Groups Funded by Exxon, Koch Industries,” DeSmogBlog, May 13, 2010.
22. “Sponsorships,” The 2008 International Conference on climate Change. Archived June 10, 2011. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmogBlog.
23. “What if you held a conference, and no (real) scientists came?” RealClimate, January 30, 2008. Webcite URL: http://www.webcitation.org/6dXAbli6V
24. “National Organizations Rally for ANWR,” anwr.org, March 8, 2006. Archived January 15, 2011. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmogBlog.
25. “Memo to Senator Bingaman: Start Drilling!” Citizens’ Alliance For Responsible Energy, June 18, 2008. Archived December 4, 2015. WebCite URL: http://www.webcitation.org/6dX98DSVQ
26. “Contact Us,” Citiznes’ Alliance for Responsible Energy. Archived June 8, 2016. WebCite URL: http://www.webcitation.org/6i7YWWyna

Other Resources

• Citizens’ Alliance for Responsible Energy (CARE) research at Energy and Policy Institute.